


Counting Down the Years

by treya_barton



Series: FFXV Halloween Week 2020 [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Reapers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27273496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treya_barton/pseuds/treya_barton
Summary: Lunafreya Nox Fleuret has a secret ability that no one else seems to know about until she meets a strange woman one day.  Lunafreya can see how much time a person has left and is surprised to discover that this mysterious woman doesn't seem to have a number at all.  She also meets a young man who has a zero for time and wonders if this newfound knowledge will help her save her childhood friend who only has 10 years left.
Series: FFXV Halloween Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985600
Kudos: 11
Collections: FFXV Halloween Week 2020





	Counting Down the Years

Lunafreya tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she sat at a park bench, fiddling with her phone as she waited for her friends to meet her for their lunch date. Lunafreya normally kept her hair tied back in an intricate set of braids, but today she only had her bangs pulled back in loose braids with the rest of her hair falling behind her shoulders. They were meeting up close to the apartment she shared with her older brother – he was working on his doctorate while Luna was working on her master’s – and if Luna was being honest she was quite looking forward lunch. It had been ages since she had last seen Noctis and he was bringing his best friend that he met in high school that she had heard so much about in their correspondence together.

Lunafreya and Noctis’s families had always been close; it came with being rich and influential families in their respective regions. The Lucis Caelum’s used to spend their summers in Tenebrae where Luna and Noctis met and would play together every year. They stopped visiting as much once Lunafreya started high school due to both of them being so busy with extra-curricular and family duties, but they still wrote and texted each other quite often. Lunafreya was old fashioned and appreciated a good letter, and Noctis was always kind enough to humor her. 

Lunafreya was broken from her thoughts as she overheard the sound of children playing nearby. They were chasing each other around and laughing loudly, and she looked up, smiling at how carefree they were. It was the weekend so they were taking full advantage of their day off of school. ‘Not much different from what I’m doing today,’ she mused. 

However, a sudden change caught her attention. One of the children – a little girl probably no older than 7 – started to move too close to the street next to the park, and Lunafreya’s eyes widened as suddenly the number above her head which had been set to a respectable 70+ years rapidly began to drop until it was showing less than a minute. Lunafreya leapt up, rushing toward the little girl and shouting, “Move away from the street!”

Before her eyes the little girl slipped, eyes growing wide as she began to fall back into the road, just as a car was turning. It would be moving too fast to stop in time. Lunafreya dashed toward the little girl, hand reaching out for her, and relief flooded her when instead a blond young man around her age with spikey styled hair and a friendly, freckled face dashed across the street and scooped up the little girl, managing to get her out of the way just as the car slammed to a stop right where the little girl was meant to fall. The back window to the car rolled down and to her surprise Noctis stuck his head out. “Is she ok?” he asked.

The blond turned to the little girl who was hugging his neck and sniffling into his shoulder. “Are you feeling hurt?” he asked her, his voice kind and gentle. She shook her head before pulling away to look at him.

“I’m ok,” she said, her voice shaky. He grinned at her.

“You’re very brave, you know that?” he said, and she blinked for a moment before a shy smile graced her features.

“Really?” she asked, and he nodded. 

“I think your friends are waiting for you. Want me to walk you over?” he asked.

She nodded, and he set her down before taking her hand and walking her over to the other kids who had been watching with wide eyes and worried gazes. They all looked relieved that their playmate was ok. Noctis stepped out of the car and waved at his driver, saying he would let him know when to come and pick him up. He then turned to Lunafreya to give her a hug. “Haven’t seen you in ages!” he said.

“It is good to see you,” Lunafreya smiled. “How has your first year at university been?”

“Some of the classes are interesting. Some are boring. It’s better because I have Prom with me,” Noctis replied. He then shouted, “Prompto!” while waving at the blond who had saved the little girl.

“Be there in a jiffy!” Prompto called. He had all the kids surrounding him now, tugging on his hands and asking him to play with him. Noctis shook his head.

“Never fails,” he said fondly.

“So that is Prompto. I should have known. He fits the description perfectly,” Lunafreya said with a smile. However, she found herself distracted by an anomaly as she looked at him. While the little girl’s number above her head had returned to what it was before, she realized something odd about Noctis’s best friend. His number was a zero. She had never seen it before and didn’t know what it meant. Noctis noticed her puzzled gazed and tilted his head.

“Everything ok?” he asked, and Lunafreya shook her head before turning to give him a smile. 

“Just had something on my mind,” she replied.

“It seems like some things never change,” he teased. Lunafreya noticed his gaze turn back to his best friend, blue eyes soft as he watched him take a few moments to play chase with the kids. When Prompto finally returned to join them, hair a bit out of place and out of breath with a flushed face, she noted how Noctis’s normally sour expression lit up. She turned to look at Prompto, smiling when she realized that while the other man seemed to be the sunny sort, he simply became radiant in Noctis’s presence. 

‘I see,’ she thought, feeling happy for her friend. After his mom had passed away followed by an illness that had left him bedridden for a month, the normally bright and curious child had become brooding. He was still kind and thoughtful, awkward and shy until you got to know him, but he had become more closed off to most those around him. She could tell that he was completely open with Prompto, and she was glad he had someone like that in his life. She had wondered about the boy Noctis would talk so much about in his letters, and so far he seemed just as perfect as he had in Noctis’s description.

“You must be Miss Nox Fleuret!” Prompto said. “Or should I say Lady Lunafreya?”

“Just Luna will do,” Lunafreya said with a giggle before offering her hand. Prompto gave it a firm handshake.

“I feel like I know you already – Noct has told me so much about you,” he teased.

“He has told me just as much about you, if not more,” she replied. Noctis blushed.

“Hey now, don’t get too chummy,” he said and they both laughed.

“I have a place I want to take you to – I think you’ll both love it!” Luna said, linking arms with them both as they headed to a Ghaladian restaurant nearby. She knew Prompto liked spicy food, and there was also some seafood that she knew Noctis would enjoy. 

They had a pleasant lunch, and Lunafreya realized she would be looking forward to getting to know Prompto better along with getting to spend more time with Noctis. They were both freshman in college, and their university was not too far from the one Lunafreya attended. In fact, Ravus actually was in the doctorate program at their school, although his face had twisted with disdain when he found out “the Lucis Caelum brat” was attending. Ravus had always been protective of his sister, and she was under the impression he was always afraid Noctis would one day take her away. While he may have had a childhood crush on her when they were kids, she had a feeling his attention was now elsewhere as she watched him and Prompto unconsciously flirt with each other during lunch. She wondered if Ravus would finally learn to get along with Noctis once he realized, but she somehow doubted that would change after all of these years.

As they ate, Luna tried her best not to stare too much at the numbers above both of their heads. While Prompto’s was showing a confusing 0, Noctis’s was far more troubling and had been something that had bothered her the moment they both met as children. Unlike most people, who had changeable numbers that would fluctuate as they encountered a dangerous situation, Noctis’s had been at a steady tick his whole life. His number was a golden color, which Lunafreya was sure meant something and was tied into the fact his time seemed to be locked by fate. He was meant to die shortly after turning 30, and unlike with most people who Lunafreya could save if she noticed the number quickly dwindling down, she didn’t know what to do about the steady number. Other than that illness in Noctis’s childhood, he always seemed healthy although he was often tired, so she wasn’t sure what caused it or why he was fated to pass so early. One thing she was researching was how to change it.

She glanced over at Prompto’s number again and bit her lip. The fact his number showed a 0 – something she had never seen before – actually gave her a bit of hope. An anomaly there may mean there was something she could do about Noctis’s number. Maybe Prompto could be the key if she could figure out what his number meant. Once they finished up a pleasant lunch, and promised to meet up again soon, Lunafreya watched Noctis and Prompto walk away, smiling at how close they were to one another. Prompto had his arm slung across Noctis’s shoulder, and Noctis who was usually reserved around others didn’t seem to mind it at all. Once they reached the Lucis Caelum’s family car, Noctis offered Prompto a ride, but the blond shook his head while saying he lived nearby and didn’t mind walking. He waved Noctis off, watching the car pull away before breaking out into a jog back home.

Lunafreya began her own trek back home, identifying with Prompto in enjoying the walk and the lovely spring weather. She had heard from Noctis that he had offered to room with Prompto, especially since in high school he had been over all the time and practically lived with him anyway, but Prompto had insisted on not leeching on his friend and choose to get his own, smaller place that he could afford. Noctis complained that Prompto was over half the time anyway and it was completely unnecessary, but Lunafreya thought it was understandable that the other man would want to show he didn’t want to use Noctis for his wealth or family name as so many others had. ‘He’s a loyal friend,’ Luna thought with a smile.

As she was walking home, a strange woman caught her attention, and Lunafreya couldn’t help but stare attentively. The woman was dressed in black and white robes and her eyes were closed, yet it seemed like she was still somehow able to see. She was watching a group of businessmen nearby who had just left a café for lunch. Lunafreya had spotted her, both due to her strange appearance and presence, and the fact that she did not have a number above her head at all. ‘Two strange meetings in the same day. It can’t be a coincidence,’ she thought. She turned to look at the group of businessmen, and her eyes widened as she realized one of them had his number rapidly dropping. He was starting to stagger his steps and clutch at his chest, and the others were grabbing hold of him and asking if he was alright.

“Call an ambulance,” one of them said, while the other two tried to lay him on the ground.

The strange woman continued to watch, eyes still closed with a serene expression on her face as chaos broke out around them as people tried to either help out or give them space while curiously watching the events unfold. Lunafreya began to push through the crowd, shouting, “I know first aid!” until she reached the man’s side. She crouched down next to him. 

One of the businessmen was one the phone with emergency services, and she let him know to put it on speakerphone so she could explain the man’s symptoms. After getting a pulse and providing details about his breathing and not identifying any sort of health tag identifying a root cause, Lunafreya tapped the man and tried to ask if he was ok. He was unresponsive and he wasn’t breathing. The dispatcher recommended CPR and Lunafreya explained she was certified. She kneeled next to the man, hands crossed over his chest as she prepared to start compressions, and she closed her eyes, tapping into another unique ability of hers. As she started compressions, magic began to course through her body, running into the man suffering the heart attack through where her hands were pressing into his chest. After she finished compressions, she tilted his head up and blew into his mouth to fill up his lungs before starting the next set of compressions.

In the middle of this set, she felt her innate ability begin to take effect, and soon the man was breathing normally again and starting to respond. Lunafreya stopped and stepped back as his eyes flickered open, while the numbers on his head changed from a 0 and slowly began to raise to a normal number. The crowd began to cheer, with the businessmen thanking her for saving their friend, and Lunafreya smiled and accepted their thanks before melting away into the crowd as the ambulance sirens were heard in the distance as it began to arrive. 

Lunafreya ducked into the café and sat down, feeling her energy drained as it always was when using her magic, and she was surprised when she was suddenly joined by the strange woman from outside. “You should not do that,” the woman said. She was sitting straight up in the chair, and her voice had the same serene, calming properties that her expression did.

Lunafreya studied the woman, eyes drifting up to her lack of number. “Why should I not?” she finally asked, deciding not to beat around the bush. It was obvious the woman knew about her abilities, and she may be able to provide some answers if Luna was direct.

“When a number falls to zero, they are fated to pass,” the woman explained. “When you interfere, it takes some of your own life force. You are draining yourself every time you save another.”

Her words made sense. Every time Lunafreya saved a life, it took a toll on her. It usually took days before she would recover, and she had noticed that her health seemed to have declined a little from her youth. It was probably why her brother was so protective – he had noticed as well. “Then it is a choice I make,” she replied calmly. “Why do you not have a number?” Even Lunafreya had a number, although when she saw herself in the mirror she saw question marks. It made sense to her that she would be unable to see how much of her own time she had left.

The woman gave a small smile. “Let us introduce ourselves. You may call me Gentiana.”

“My name is Lunafreya Nox Fleuret,” Luna replied. Gentiana bowed her head.

“I know your family,” she replied. “You have always had strong spiritual energy.”

“So who – or what – are you?” Luna asked curiously.

“I am an Astral,” she replied. “Although your kind refer to us as Reapers.” Lunafreya’s eyes widened. 

“Then you were there…”

“To bring the man’s soul to the afterlife, yes,” Gentiana replied. “I had heard there was one interfering with our work. I am not surprised to learn it is a Nox Fleuret.”

Lunafreya had so many questions to ask. When she had talked about her abilities as a child, no one had understood or believed her. She had always felt her mother may have known something, but she had not shared when she was a girl and then passed away not too long after Noctis had started recovering from his illness. Her mother had always seemed to have low energy – Lunafreya had always wondered if she had shared the same ability she did. She suddenly wished she had opened up before she had died so Lunafreya could have better understood her abilities. “Did my mother…?” she slowly asked. Gentiana nodded.

Lunafreya looked down for a moment, before lacing her fingers together. “Why is it that most numbers are steady and only suddenly decline if someone is in danger, while others are a different color and seem locked in place?”

“Some deaths are fated from birth,” Gentiana explained. “They are not changeable. They cannot die early and their death cannot be changed.” Lunafreya’s heart sank at her words, but she wasn’t going to let it stop her from trying. She couldn’t be fully sure if she could trust the Reaper or Astral since she was sure the other woman had her own agendas.

“What about a person who continues to live on even after their number is at zero?” she asked, thinking about Prompto.

Gentiana’s mask slipped for a moment, and Lunafreya was surprised when her eyes opened, showing dark black eyes before sliding closed again. She looked disturbed by her words, and even when she had smoothed her expression again she no longer had the same calming presence; instead Lunafreya could feel her unease. 

“You have seen such a thing?” Gentiana asked.

“It is just a theory,” Lunafreya replied, feeling concerned for Prompto. She wasn’t sure what the Reaper would do if she found out.

Gentiana’s gaze seemed to be boring through her even behind her closed eyes, and Lunafreya kept up a calm façade and did not crack under pressure. Years of growing up in wealth and society had given her a strong backbone. Gentiana turned her head away for a moment. “If I were to make a hypothesis, it would mean their life is not their own or is a half-life,” she replied.

“Has it happened before?” Lunafreya asked. Gentiana was silent, and Luna frowned, realizing there was a limit to how much she would share.

“Your mother was a kind woman. Hopefully, you will not choose to share her fate,” Gentiana stated before standing up and bowing her head. “I will be keeping watch over you.” She then disappeared, and Lunafreya looked around to see if anyone else had noticed. No one appeared to. Luna decided to get a coffee and a pastry in order to give herself enough strength to return home.

Once she got home and was welcomed by Umbra and Pryna, her two dogs who were very happy to have her home, she kicked off her shoes and tiredly made her way to her room, her dogs on either side. They seemed to sense when she was tired, and she knew they would stand guard as she rested, with Pryna lying at the foot of her bed and Umbra lying by the door. As she climbed into bed, her mind whirled with questions over all she had just learned. It was a lot to take in, learning that her mother had shared the same ability. Luna suddenly wondered if her mother had healed Noctis and if that was what had caused her to pass away. She felt no hard feelings – she would have done the same in her mother’s place. In fact, that was probably what Gentiana had meant when she cautioned Luna against sharing her mother’s fate.

She also learned about Astrals – or Reapers – and wanted to research more to see if it would bring her to a solution to save her childhood friend. And she really wanted to know more about Prompto and what it meant to have a zero. She felt concerned for him, and hoped that if Gentiana did discover him that he would be alright. He meant so much to Noctis and he seemed like such a wonderful person; she didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. She had learned so much more in a day than she had in her prior 22 years and also had so many more questions than she had before. Luna’s eyes slid closed and she drifted off to sleep, knowing she would need her energy for the days to come.

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to potentially expand on this story and continue it if anyone is interested in it. Right now it's really just a concept but when I was brainstorming for FFXV Halloween Week I really wanted to do a Grim Reaper story and the idea of having Lunafreya being able to see time and wanting to save Noctis was born! It would ultimately be a Promptis because that is my main FFXV pairing but I do want Lunafreya to be the main character and for the story to be told through her eyes primarily. I'm already working on Astral Wars but this could potentially be a new story to start after I'm done ^^


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